Bahrain will soon have its first BD40 million ($104.64 million) sports city, a state-of-the-art private development, which will feature a mixed sports dome, an outdoor pitch, mini-soccer hall, squash court and a climbing area, a report said.

Named The Ball Park, it will also include a women-only yoga garden, swimming pools, gyms, aerobics studios and a club house, added the report in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

The proposal was approved yesterday by the Northern Municipal Council at its weekly meeting, where councillors also agreed on building an open-air shopping complex, art galleries and food court at the city.

The investor of the city is Bahrain First and the land earmarked for the project was initially going to be developed into a 150 private villa scheme, which was approved by the council in 2009.

Council acting chairman Sayed Ahmed Al Alawi said the project was unique not just in the GCC, but the Midde East.

"We first approved the 150 private villas project in 2009, but when the same developers presented us with this exotic sports city concept just 10 days ago, we immediately welcomed the change," he said.

"The project's facilities are divided into separate family, men, women and children sections."

Area councillor Nader Al Boori said an initial agreement has been reached with developers to offer the area's residents free recreational facilities on certain days. – TradeArabia News Service